The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-10-14
COLONEL BOWIE.
SLAVE TRADER. DUELIST AND
TEXAN REYOLUrIONIsT.
EventfnI Career of the Man Who
Invented the Celebrated Hunt
ing Knife Named Alter Him
A Life of Danger.

James Bowie was born in Logan Coun-
~, Kentucky, IN the year 1856. His
parents were natives of Georgia, hi
father being wocdsmau and hunter, in
which craft James was brought up. The
family wandered from place to place,
usually seeking the remotest frontier
and finally settled on the borders o.
louisiana and Texas. Here, in 1874.
James Bowie made a clearing for him
self, built log cabin, and lived princi
pally by fishing and hunting. Man5
were his deeds Of daring and reckless
ness in his forest adventures, and many
stories have been preserved of his wild
exploits. He would catch and ride not;
/ only Wild horses, but Wild deer. ant,
one occasion he caught, roped, and rode
an alligator
He grew to be large and powerful
man. six feet in height and extremely
muscular. His temper is said to have
been good, but he was easily aroused to
anger, which was terrible and unap-
peasable, and lie him into many trag
{ ieai encounter. He never fought a reg
ular duel, but was engaged in many
fights, most of which had a bloody ter
f
general favorite among his friends and
neighbOrs, which goes to disprove that
he was not Of cruel or bloodthirsty dis
position.
Texas. at that time belonging 10 Mex
leo, was a sort Of promised land TO the
Adventures Of the Southwest. One Of
the frst expeditions into that country
was under General James Long, of Ten
nessee, and Bowie accompanied it. This
was in 1919. The expedition resulted
disastrously, Long being captured and
killed by the Mexlcans, but Bowie re-
turned safely to his home
He now sold his land, and in company
with his brothers engaged in slave trad
ing with Lafitte, the notorious pirate OF
the Gulf. Under the laws of the United
States at that time slaves were not al
lowed TO be imported into the country,
but the brothers Bowie easily evaded /
difficulty. Their plan of operations was
to 60 TO Galveston AMI purchase from
-aftte a number Of negroes, for which |
they paid at the rate of 81 pound, OF
about $40 for each negro. These they
would bring into the limits OF the United |
States, and then 20 to custom house Off |
GERS and become infOrmers against them |
selves. The law gave the informer half |
the va ue Of the negroes, which were put |
up and sold By the United States Mar
shal- At the Marshal's sale they would /
themselves become the purchasers,
would receive half the purchase money |
back and certificate Of sale, which en-
titled them 10 dispose of the negroes in |
the United States. Bowie followed this
business until he made some $50, 1000,
most Of which he soon spent in riotous |
living in New Orleans.
II was during these expeditions to /
Galveston that his genius evolved the l
hunting knife, with which his name viii
always be associated. 1t was made for T
him by blacksmith after a design of
his OWL. Il was made with heavy
back, so that it could be used in chop
ping as well as thrustlng, thus fulfilling
the purpose Of a Ratchet for which he
used it in his woodsman life.
In the exciting political contests that
grew out Of Jackson's advent as candi-
date Bowie took an active part. In
1926 he was residing at Ale andria, on
Red River, and during political cam
paign he got into an alteration with
Norris Wright, Sheriff OF Rapides Par
ish. Bowie was unarmed, and Wright
drew pistol and shot him through the
b dy, but even then. if Wright had not
been rescued by his friends Bowie would
have killed him with his fists. This at
tack so enraged him that he determined
thereafter never to 20 without his knife,
and he had a scabbard made for it, and
said he would wear it as long as he lived.
A year later this feud with sheriff
Wright eliminated in a terrible encounter
at Natchez. In September, 1927, two
very respectable citizens OF louisiana,
Dr. Maddox and Samuel Wells, having
q difference to settle, agreed to meet on
a sand bar in the Mississippi River op-
hatcher with few friends. They m t,
exchanged shots, and became reconciied.
When retiring from the ground Wells
invited Maddox and his second, Colonel
Crane, to the woods adjoining, where
some others of his friends, excluded
from the field, were, to take refresh
ments. Crane objected, on the ground
that there were certain men there he
could not meet. Wells then assented TO
90 where Maddox's friends, who had
also been excluded from the field, were.
When on the way the party were met by
the friends Of Wells, who were James
Bowie, General Curry and another per-
son. Crane and General Curry were
mortal enemies, and Immediately drew
their pistols Crane had pistol in each
hand, and shot Bowie first and then
Curry, the latter being instantly killed.
At this the friends of Maddox hurried to
the scene, and among them was the
Sheriff Wright who had the encounter I,
with Bowie year before. Wright also
fired at Bowie, and be fell A general
firing ensued and several others were
killed. Wright seeing Bowie lying ap.
parently dead, approached and bent over
lim, when Bowie suddenly drew his
knife and stabbed Wright to the heart.
lie then arose, though severely wounded,
md stabbed another of the party with
MS knife, and the battle then termi-
mated
When Bowie recovered from his
wounds he determined to leave the
United States and take up his residence
n Texas. There he went in the year
1890 and engaged actively on the side of
he rey0lutionists, his valor soon gaining
lim a distinguished name in that coun- ]
.ry He married daughter of one Of the .
q governors of the province and was APP /
pointed Colonel of one Of the Texas regi-
nents. During the next few years he
vas eng ged in many fights with the
indians and with the Mexicans, in one |
II which he and nine or ten men sue !
,eeded in defending themselves against |
80 Indians, with loss OF only one ]
Iiled and two wounded. /
His csreer was finally ended at the
bloody battle of Alamo He had been
,rdered to that place to take command,
,ut few days after he reached there he
vas taken down with pneumonia, and
Turing the siege was confined to his bed. {
Is is well known Santa Anna, command
NC $500 Mexieans, besieged the fort in
IIarch, 1886. 1t had only about 150 de-
enders. After some days of attack the
,lace was stormed and every Texan put
o the sword. 70 one escaped Bowie,
lex in bed. is said to have shot down
With pistols and killed with his knife a .
lumber of his ASSISTANTS before he yielded ,
lp his life. Whether this is true or not I
t IS safe to assume that il he had